5-Star DL David Stone Taking Official Visit To Michigan State
Michigan State will get the final June official visit for IMG Academy (Fla.) five-star defensive lineman David Stone, as the Top 10 overall prospect announced he will take an OV to East Lansing over the weekend of June 23.
Fired up about this one let’s go babyyy!!!Last OV💚🪓
— David “Stoney” Stone Jr. (@iamdavidstonejr) June 18, 2023
The Spartans have targeted Stone for a long time, with former defensive line coach Marco Coleman and pass rush specialist Brandon T. Jordan leading the charge for MSU last season. Even with the departure of both of those assistant coaches, Michigan State has remained in the battle for Stone under new D-line coach Diron Reynolds.
Stone has previously taken official visits to Florida, Miami and Oklahoma this month. Those three programs, along with MSU and Oregon, are considered the favorite to land the 6-foot-4, 270-pounder's signature. Stone is considered the No. 5 overall prospect, No. 2 defensive lineman and No. 3 player in the state of Florida, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Oklahoma currently leads on Stone's 247Sports' Crystal Ball race, with three out of five predictions pointing towards the Sooners. Michigan State holds two predictions for Stone.
247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins wrote the following evaluation of Stone:
“A disruptive force in the middle that wins with an explosive get-off and heavy hands. Transferred into the national powerhouse that is IMG Academy in advance of his junior season and carved out a role right away up front for a team that finished ranked No. 5 in the MaxPreps Top 25. The type of interior lineman that offers plenty of value as a pass rusher as he quickly shoots into the backfield and gets to work. Ability to cross opposing linemen and collapse pockets is without a doubt promising, but shouldn’t exactly be viewed as some one-trick pony as he also understands how to shed blocks and eat up gaps. Changes directions better than most of his peers, which isn’t surprising given his streamlined build (measured just under 6-foot-3, 270 pounds in Spring 2022). Will need to keep progressing and take to coaching, but should be viewed as a potential difference-maker at the Power Five level, especially with his length (has a near 7-foot wingspan on file) and scheme versatility (has played a variety of different techniques at the prep level). Likely will need some time before he’s ready for a significant number of snaps on Saturdays, but could work his way into the rotation sooner rather than later in obvious passing situations with his burst. NFL upside.”
